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Is A+ equilivant to an A-Level?

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Hi all,

I know the name sounds the same (A+ / A* A-level etc.) but what is the CompTIA A+ the equilivant to in "main stream" qualificiations, such as GCSE, A-Level, HNC, HND, Degree etc?

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hi... im not in the UK but im applying to uni's there for next year from cyprus... because i came from zimbabwe two years ago without A Level but did my a+ and they considering that qualification as an entry for me because im over 21 and with work experience behind it... not on the same level but it does help with some credit i would imagine...

According to CompTIA, the A+ represents the equivalent knowledge of a tech with six months practical experience in PC repair and maintanence. Frankly, given the difficulty level of their recent exam, I'd probably upgrade that to at least 12 months, but I don't make the rules.

I was just wondering what it would be the equilivant to, I mean the amount of knowledge, time and the strength of the exams, basically would just like to know how much goes into the A+

Cheers

Steve

Click to expand...

It's a hard question to ask as you have to take into account your experience with PC hardware and software and how quickly you take things in. For me the A+ was pretty straightforward to do due to having years of experience messing around with PC's. I think I did both the exams in about 2-3 months after starting it.

A+ is a good cert to start with as you don't need a lot of experince as long as you know the bits inside of a PC and being able to build your own PC would be a big advantage in being able to do the A+

A long time ago, on a forum far far away, I had a shall we say "more than heated" debate with a certain founder Member of this site (whom I now consider a worthy friend) about the relative comparisons between the MCP certification against an A level. My learned colleague stated they were of roughly equivalent difficulty, and although I never (and still don't) fully agree with this, I guess I would certainly now say they are not a million miles apart.

Now, I think it's safe to say that the A+ is probably a little easier than your first MCP (and I don't mean to discourage anyone who has gained A+, about to start on MCP, and now thinks I'm the anti-christ of encouragement).

But as Slypie alludes to above, you cant really compare apples and pears, but if you want a simple yes or no, then I think if you can do an A level in a given subject, you will be able to achieve the A+.

I will state that this is my, and quite possibly my opinion alone. It is certainly not necessarily the opinion of CertForums.

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